The Missing Link in Construction Management
Bridging project planning and on-site execution with tools to standardize workflows, streamline task logging, and predict delivery in real time.
My Role
Product Designer
Timeline
October 2018 – April 2019
Team
Two design teammates, Head of Product.
Background
The Gantt chart module and task reporting application for the Mahi platform were developed to address the challenges of large-scale construction projects, such as coordination inefficiencies, resource mismanagement, and cost overruns.
This case study focuses on Mahi’s core Gantt chart module and task reporting application, which streamlines contractor task reporting and enables real-time updates via the app.
My Key Contributions
I redesigned a high-complexity Gantt chart for large-scale construction projects with live issue tracking and a contractor task reporting app integrated with real-time Gantt monitoring.
I created a robust design system with the development team, ensuring seamless handoffs from design to development.
Through field studies, I developed user-centric solutions addressing contractor challenges while aligning designs with business goals.
My work enhanced communication, reduced delays, and provided project managers with clear task dependencies to keep projects on track.
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Analysis
Ethnographic field studies
Competitor research
Focus Group
Define
Information Architecture
problems & needs
Concept
Flow chart
Wireframes
Trial
Low-fi prototype
A/B Testing
UI
Design System
Hi-fidelity design
Prototype
How Can Gantt Charts Streamline Management for Efficient Project Planning?
Where are we currently?
The initial version of the Gantt chart module was created as a basic tool for project scheduling and task tracking.
However, it proved insufficient to handle the complexities of large-scale construction projects.
What We Learned from Our End Users
Field studies revealed critical limitations, including challenges in managing task dependencies, ensuring accountability, and providing real-time updates necessary for effective decision-making.
Project Managers
I struggle to visualize how delays in one task affect the rest of the project. Dependencies are often unclear, and it’s difficult to identify critical paths.
Contractors
I need a simple way to log progress and report issues directly from the site. Current tools are too complex and time-consuming.
Project Managers
Updates come too late for effective resource reallocation. I need to make decisions based on current progress, not yesterday’s data.
Contractors
I often face resource shortages or equipment delays but lack a clear way to communicate these issues quickly to the management team.
Site Supervisors
I spend too much time explaining on-site updates to the office team. There’s no central platform for real-time communication
Sub-Contractors
I don’t always have visibility into how my tasks depend on others, which makes it hard to adjust when delays occur.
What did the business say?
Business Goal 01
Reduce delays and downtime with instant task updates.
Business Goal 04:
Enhance accountability to avoid budget overruns.
Business Goal 02:
Keep timelines on track by visualizing dependencies.
Business Goal 05:
Identify risks early to prevent costly setbacks.
Business Goal 03:
Minimize waste through optimized resource allocation.
Business Goal 06:
Eliminate miscommunication to save time and money.
So what features we needed apart from these competitors and address the overlap of goal and user needs ?
Real-Time Constraint, Downtime, and Issue Tracking
Construction-Specific Gantt Chart with Work Breakdown Structure
Construction-Specific Progress Tracking
Unplanned Task Integration
Dynamic Critical Path Recalculations
Real-Time Updates from Field Reporting
Study and Planing
Secondary research
In 2016, a study revealed key challenges in construction management:
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$50 billion is lost annually due to downtime.
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$260,000 per hour in average downtime costs.
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70% of projects exceed time and budget.
Source: Equipment Utilization Report, Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ), 2017.
The document underscores the necessity of real-time site condition reporting to
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Mitigate delays caused by slow communication and lack of updates.
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Enhance visibility into project progress, ensuring accountability and task ownership.
Source: Department of Construction, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, NZ
How Does the Gantt Chart Fit into Construction Project Management Systems?
The high-level information architecture highlights the Gantt chart’s integration within the Project Center, where it connects high-level configurations to task-level execution.
What Are the Challenges in Managing Work Breakdown Structures for Complex Projects?
Managing WBS involves navigating multi-level hierarchies, dynamic task transitions, scalability across levels, and system constraints that balance flexibility with structural consistency.
How Does the Work Breakdown Structure Address Construction Challenges?
Managing WBS involves navigating multi-level hierarchies, dynamic task transitions, scalability across levels, and system constraints that balance flexibility with structural consistency.
How Did Wireframing Bridge Insights to a User-Centered Gantt Chart?
Insights from field studies and competitor research were translated into designs addressing construction management challenges, creating a blueprint for a Gantt chart module focused on task tracking, constraint reporting, and real-time updates.
Uncovering Multiple Scenarios for Real-Time Visualization
Schedules and real-time info visualization on the Gantt timeline were explored, distilling insights and identifying assumptions to address these findings.
How Do High-Fidelity Prototypes Make Complex Interfaces Easy to Understand?
I create high-fidelity prototypes to refine user flows and core tasks, focusing on complex motion interactions. These refinements specifically aid engineering teams in quickly understanding feature interactions.
How the Application Simplifies Task Downtime and Constraint Reporting?
Why We Designed and Developed the Task Reporting App to Address Construction Challenges?
Construction reporting was plagued by delays, miscommunication, and inefficient tools, leaving contractors frustrated and project managers without real-time visibility.
To tackle this, I redesigned the reporting process, creating a native app that simplifies task logging and integrates live data into the Gantt chart module.
Contractors can now report progress and constraints effortlessly, giving project managers instant updates to improve coordination and decision-making.
Who Are the End Users of Our Task Reporting App and the Challenges They Face?
80% of user reported various frustrations during evaluations.
Team Leads or Supervisors - Real-time updates and task views to keep teams aligned.
Contractor or Subcontractor - Access task timelines and log work status to align with plans.
40-60% of contractor reports focus on constraints such as material shortages, equipment failures, and environmental conditions.
Participants struggled to log constraints quickly due to difficulty locating the log button.
Reporting constraints directly to project managers during shifts was challenging, disrupting workflow and performance.
Constraint reporting dominates on-site reports due to the dynamic nature of construction and frequent unexpected challenges.
Users with older phones faced functionality issues as the app did not perform optimally on their devices.
20% of our participants were color-blind.
Navigating schedules across weeks was cumbersome, requiring extensive scrolling.
Users with larger fingers faced difficulty tapping small buttons in the application.
How We Enhanced Usability by Reducing Friction Through User Flow Iterations?
Field studies revealed that 40-60% of reports from contractors and subcontractors involve constraint reporting, emphasizing its importance in construction site management.
To address this, we developed a streamlined user flow chart, focusing on simplifying task logging and ensuring seamless constraint reporting processes.
Existing Version
Goal Iteration
How Wireframes Resolved Key Usability Challenges in the Progress Reporting App for Contractors
The wireframing phase tackled usability challenges, including progress updates, task navigation, and constraint logging, critical actions for construction management hindered by unclear interfaces and cumbersome workflows.
How Did Iterative Design Turn User Challenges into Usability Improvements?
Before
After
Progress updates were complicated, requiring navigation of small, cumbersome slider buttons.
Progress updating is streamlined with large buttons for four status options and essential four-digit clarity, ensuring consistency and ease.
Task cards made quick date review difficult, requiring excessive scrolling between days.
A small calendar at the top displays today’s tasks by default, with easy navigation for other dates via left/right clicks or a calendar icon.
Logging constraints was difficult, slowing down a critical process that directly impacted progress.
The task detail section now features a clear CTA button and prioritizes task due dates for contractors. Start and finish dates are sent directly to the dashboard for planners, ensuring accurate and transparent data without overwhelming contractors.
Accessibility Testing: Ensuring Inclusivity
Simulating Color Blindness
Inclusive Design for Our Target Audience:
We have studied our end users for the mobile app, focusing on construction workers with color blindness. To ensure inclusivity, we have utilized plugins to double-check the color schemes in our design and verify that they meet accessibility standards.
Ensuring Text Legibility: An Accessibility Focus
Readability Check Based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
We ensured our design complies with WCAG AAA standards by maintaining a high contrast ratio for optimal readability of both large and small text.
Clear typography and distinct visual elements further enhance accessibility for all users.
Outcome
Implementing real-time reporting tools in construction projects has significantly enhanced efficiency and reduced delays.
For instance, a highway construction project that adopted a project management tool experienced a 30% reduction in reporting time, leading to quicker decision-making and fewer delays.
Additionally, real-time reporting fosters seamless communication among on-site teams and office staff, ensuring that potential issues are addressed promptly, thereby minimizing downtime and improving overall project performance.
These solutions transforms on-site reporting into a streamlined, precise process, keeping projects on track and teams aligned.
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Overall Workflow Efficiency: Increased by 65%.
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Communication Accuracy and Speed: Achieved a 30% reduction in reporting time with improved accuracy.